On Vacation: There were four youths

 

This song by Nikos Gatsos was meant to be for the name-day of Theodoros Kolokotronis, but I have not been able to learn which Ag. Theodoros it was -- February 17 or March 3.

FOUR YOUNG MEN

There were four youths

Yiassou, Old Man of the Morea

You wrestled like a wild goat

teaching them constantly.

Swallows and swords

strung up in their hearts

high up over Karitaina

with the sun their neighbor.

There were four youths

Yiassou, Old Man of the Morea

no house held them

and time was on the march

Dark bitter years

on the bald heights

blood ran down

in the gorges.

When Easter came
they dressed like bridegrooms
and Death, the winged horseman,

rode behind.

There were four youths

Yiassou, Old Man of the Morea

no place held them

and time was on the march.

Road, road, and roads

it's written in the cards

they planted chrysanthemums

above the curse.

But when the time of orders came

like lightening on the earth

the ill-fated boys fell

like pine cones.

There were four youths

Yiassou, Old Man of the Morea

tell us if you saw them

 if you comforted them.

ΕΙΤΑΝ ΤΕΣΣΑΡΑ ΠΑΙΔΙΑ

Εἴταν τέσσερα παιδιὰ

γειά σου γέρο τοῦ Μοριᾶ

σάν ἀγρίμι πάλευες

κι ὅλο τὰ δασκάλευες.

Χελιδόνια καὶ σπαθιὰ

στὶς καρδιές τους ἀρμαθιὰ

πάνω στὴν Καρύταινα

μὲ τὸν ἥλιο γείτονα.

Εἴταν τέσσερα παιδιὰ

γειά σου γέρο τοῦ Μοριᾶ

σπίτι δὲν τά χώραγε

κι καιρὸς προχώραγε.

Χρόνια μαῦρα καὶ πικρὰ

στὰ βουνὰ τὰ φαλακρὰ

κι ἔτρεχαν τὰ ἅιματα

μέσ᾿ στὰ κλεισορέματα.

Κι ὅταν ἔφτασε ἡ Λαμπρὴ

στολιστῆκαν σὰ γαμπροὶ

πίσω τους κι ὁ θάνατος

καβαλάρης φτερωτός.

Εἴταν τέσσερα παιδιὰ

γειά σου γέρο τοῦ Μοριᾶ

τόπος δὲν τὰ κράταγε

κε ὁ καιρὸς περπάταγε.

Στράτα στράτα καὶ στρατὶ

ἔτσι γράφει τὸ χαρτὶ

πάνω ἀπὸ τ᾿ ἀνάθεμα

σπείραν χρυσάνθεμα.

Μὰ σὰν ἄστραπψε στὴ γῆ

τῶν καιρῶν ἡ προσταγὴ

πέσαν τὰ κακόμοιρα

σὰν κυπαρισσόμηλα.

Εἴταν τέσσερα παιδιὰ

γειά σου γέρο τοῦ Μοριᾶ

πέσ᾿ μας ἂν τὰ γνώρισες

κι ἂν τὰ παρηγόρησες.

Trans. DW.
Italian translation. 
Music, page 8.

 Drawing of Theodoros Kolokotronis  by Karl Krazeisen. 

For nearly all the poetry of Gatsos in Greek and English, go here.